10 Green Gadgets to Reduce Your High-Tech Carbon Footprint

Most gadgets are electricity hogs or are powered by toxic batteries that too often end up in the landfill instead of being recycled. But not all tech toys are created equal. These standout new products don't all take the same route toward more eco-friendly gadgetry: Some of them use less power, some use less packaging, some run off of water or the sun, and some simply make us more aware of how much electricity we're using. But all 10 have one thing in common: They won't leave quite the same footprint as your typical gizmo.

This gorgeous compact speaker for iPods and iPhones is made using a handcrafted wood veneer that comes from sustainable plantation sources. But its green roots are more than veneer-deep: The speaker is entirely free of environmentally hazardous materials like lead, cadmium and chemical-based adhesives. The packaging is made entirely out of recycled materials and is 100 percent recyclable in turn. Of course, none of this would matter if it didn't sound good. That's not a problem for the Vers 2X: this compact system produces very good sound from its two 3-in. speakers and dual bass ports, powered by an onboard Class D amplifier that wastes far less electricity than most amps.

This science-fair-ready clock runs on salt water. The briny fuel corrodes the clock's electrodes, which release electrons to provide power to the monochrome LCD. It doesn't do much more than tell time, but can go weeks without a refill. Other water-powered clocks tend to look like they were made as a science project. This one's available in a handful of different colors and screams eco-chic, not eco-geek.

Originally developed for the military, this waterproof solar charger can provide electricity for everything from laptops and cellphones to bilge pumps and car batteries. The cadmium-free solar cells are mounted on thin film, which sits on a soft plastic layer, allowing you to roll it up for easy packing. The high-end version can run a laptop for about a half hour for every hour of sunlight it collects. You'll need a 12-volt cigarette-lighter adapter for portables, and recharging batteries requires an optional charging module. And if you need more power, you can daisy-chain multiple units for up to 20 amps of output.

Battle against nature and preserve it at the same time with this robotic Roomba-esque lawnmower. It's far more expensive than its nonsolar cousin, but since lawnmowers work outdoors it can really take advantage of a solar boost to its rechargeable battery. The mower charges via AC power, but it draws extra power from onboard solar panels. Built-in sensors keep it from knocking over your lawn gnomes or chopping down your garden, and it's good for yards up to about half an acre in size. The best part: It returns itself to your shed or garage when the job's done or when it needs to recharge.

This surge-protecting power strip is as sophisticated as some of the devices you'll plug into it. Its integrated LCD shows statistics such as voltage, kilowatt-hours, and leakage current used by connected electronics and appliances. It records the highest and lowest values, allowing you to keep an eye out for inefficient appliances. Much like food-diary-keeping dieters, we've found that simply being aware of how much energy a product uses allows us to cut down on consumption. And if you get really into watching your minute-by-minute energy consumption, the PowerCost Monitor will do the same thing for your entire house.

Dell's greenest desktop looks and runs cool thanks to an energy-efficient power supply and an outer shell made of responsibly harvested bamboo. The ultracompact PC uses a fraction of the power of a typical tower but has most of the trimmings you'd expect in a full-size model. You can add an optional Blu-ray player to watch high-def movies on your HDTV via the computer's HDMI output, controlling it from the couch with the included wireless keyboard and mouse. The system comes with a recycling kit, and its packaging is almost completely recyclable. It even has 75% less printed documentation than most machines (it's not like anybody reads instruction manuals anyway).

Fabrik's intelligent USB hard drive claims to be "the world's greenest hard drive." We can't verify that assertion, but the company does make a compelling case: the drive only turns on when your computer is powered up, using up to 90 percent less electricity than conventional hard drives. In addition, the recycled aluminum enclosure dissipates heat from the Energy Star-­compliant power supply, conserving energy and eliminating the need for noisy cooling fans. It's made from a bamboo veneer that is grown close to the manufacturing plant (reducing the need for fuel-hungry transport trucks) and steam pressed, eliminating the need for varnish or harsh chemicals.

The Eco TV earns its name by not sucking up juice when juice isn't needed, thanks to an onboard light sensor that monitors ambient lighting and adjusts the LCD's backlight accordingly: The darker the room, the less power the backlight draws. The 42-in. screen, which handles full HD (1080p) and cleverly hides its speakers in the back, is constructed from lead-free, flame-retardant components. Its packaging and manuals are all made of recycled materials. There has never been a more eco-friendly way to watch Dancing With the Stars.

This laptop bag, which comes out in a few weeks, uses solar panels to soak up sun, which it stores in an onboard battery. While solar-powered bags have been around for years, this is the first to generate enough power to charge a laptop (up to 17 watts), using only a day's worth of sunlight. Like previous, less-powerful models, the bag can also charge gadgets such as phones and MP3 players via the included adapters, USB port or integrated 12-volt car charger. The bag holds notebooks up to 17 in., and its fabric is made entirely from recycled soda bottles. It's pricey, but the Voltaic finally gives us the ability to work in a park or on the road indefinitely, without charging our laptop.

Cellphones are one of the gadget world's worst eco-offenders--nearly everybody has one, and most people replace them at an alarming rate. The Evolve's outer shell is made from unpainted bio-sourced materials that are 50 percent renewable, making the manufacturing process much cleaner. The AC charger beats Energy Star power usage standards by 95 percent and draws almost no electricity when your phone isn't actually charging (most gadgets and appliances draw power when plugged in, even if they are turned off). Thankfully, being green doesn't mean this phone is lean on features: Nokia crammed in a Web browser, e-mail client, camera, MP3 player and FM radio.

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